Gate-latch.



No. 733,208, PATENTED JULY 7, 1903.

J; J. HYNDING'.

GATE LATCH.-

APPLIOATION FILED 00114. 1902.

no. 73am.

UITED STATES Patented July i 1902.

PATENT OFFICE...

GATE-tATCH.

SEECTFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 733,208, dated J 7,19031 Application filed October 14, 1902. $e'rial No. 127,306. (Nomodel.)

engaging means.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction, ashereinafter shown and described, and specified in the claim.

In the drawings illustrative of the invention, Figure l is a sideelevation of a portion of a gate at its free or swinging end and theadjacent gate-post with the improvements applied. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the post, as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailview of a portion of a post with the im-- proved devices appliedthereto.

The device may be applied to any of the ordinary forms of farm andsimilar gates which are constructed to swing transversely of thegateway-opening, and more particularly to that style of gate arranged toswing in both directions, and for the purpose of illustration theinvention is shown applied to a conventional gate and one of theadjacent posts of the ordinary construction; but it will be obvious thatthe improvement may be applied to any of the ordinary swinging gates,and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited in the application of theinvention to any specific form of gate or gate-post.

In the drawings a portion of a gate is shown, 10 representing the endmember, 11 the longitudinal rails, and 12 the adjacent stationaryfence-post, having the usual longitudinal fence-rails 13 attachedthereto.

Secured transversely of the face of the post 12, adjacent to the endmember 10, is a latchplate 11, having a centrally-disposed socket 15,the upper surface of the plate lat being reversely inclined, asindicated at 16 17, and forming inclined guides to conduct the movablelatch member (indicated at 18) into the socket.

The post 12 will preferably be provided with a recess 20 opposite theplate 14 and extending upward therefrom to provide a passage-waytransversely of the post for the free or outer end of the latch member18, so that a considerable degree of longitudinal play may be given tothe latch member before it will be detached from the socket-plate. Bythis means the gate portion or the fence portion may move to aconsiderable extent away from each other before the latch member willbecome detached from the socket-plate. This is an important feature ofthe invention and will effectually prevent relative displacement orlongitudinal movement between the post and the gate portion fromadecting the relative action of the latch member and the socket member.

Pivotally attached to the plate 14 upon opposite sides of the socket 15are trip-levers 21 22, the latter movably engaged to the plate 14: bythe pivots 23 24, as shown, and provided with stop-pins 25 26 to limittheir movement in one direction, while at the same time leaving themfree to be moved in the opposite direction.

It will be noted by reference to Fig. 3 that the pivot-pins 23 24 arenearer one end of the trip-levers than the other, so that the longerends will maintain the shorter ends of the levers normally in theirupward positions and extending for some distance above the uppersurfaces of the inclined portions 16 17, as indicated at 27 28. Theinner adjacent ends of the levers 21 22 are disposed vertically, asshown, so that when the latch momber 18 engages the portions 27 or 28,as the case may be, the trip -levers will yield and permit the latchmember to pass into the socket, the vertical end of the oppositetriplever forming a stop to prevent the passage of the latch member outof the socket. By this arrangement when the gate is swung from onedirection it will depress one of the trip-levers and be engaged by theopposite lever, and thus prevented from passing entirely over thesocket-plate, as will be obvious.

Pivotally supported upon the post 12 above the trip-levers 21 22 aregravity stop-levers 29 30, the latter supported movably by the pivots3132, with their free ends 33 34 in close proximity or swingingpartially behind the upper ends 2" 28 of the trip-levers 21 22, asshown. Intermediately disposed between the gravity-levers 29 is a stop35, with which the gravity-levers engage from opposite sides when movedinward.

The stop 35 will be so disposed that when the levers 29 30 are movedinwardly in engagement with the stop their outer edges will not passbeyond the points 27 or 28, as the case may be, of the levers 21 22.

It will be noted that the latch member 18 in entering the socket 15 willstrike one of the gravity-levers 29 or 30, as the case may be, at thesame time that it engages a triplever and carries it inward until itstrikes the stop 35, the further progress of the gate in that directionbeing thus stopped with the latch member directly over the socket, sothat when the latch member falls it will be certainly guided into thesocket, and when the latch member falls below the lower free end of thegravity-lever with which it has been engaged the latter is released andreturns to its former position. The gravity-levers thus form guides toconduct the latch member into the socket and also as stops to preventthe gate being carried past the post. By this simple arrangement thegate cannot be carried past the post,while at the same timeit can beswung freely in either direction by simply releasing the latch member inthe ordinary manner, as the gravity-levers 29 3O oifer no impediment tothe usual operation of the gate in either direction. These gravity-levers, therefore, are important and valuable features of the inventionand materiallyincrease the efliciency of the gate and insure its perfectaction under all circumstances.

The relative proportions of the parts may be varied to any desiredextent to adapt the device to gates of various sizes, and I do not,therefore, wish to be limited to any specific proportion of parts, andreserve the right to make such modifications and changes as may becomprised within the scope of the claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- In a device ofthe class described, the combination with a gate-post, of a latch-platesecured thereto and provided with a latchsocket, a gate, a movable latchcarried thereby and adapted to engage the socket, a pivotedgravity-lever adapted to guide the latch into the socket, a trip-leverpivoted to the latchplate and a stop-pin for limiting the movements ofthe lever, said lever having its under face wholly free fromobstructions; whereby the danger of an accumulation of foreign matterbeneath the leveiyrendering the same inoperative, is obviated.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JESSE J. HYNDING.

